The Challenge of a Lifetime
by Shadowclanwarrior
Summary: A collection of various Super Paper Mario one-shots in hopes to reach 100 one-shots by the end of my fanfiction career. Will I succeed in this challenge, while entertaining you in the process, or will I fall short by the end?
1. Horror

**Author's Note:**

**In response to Driftstar-Leader of TreeClan's 100 One-shot Challenge, I decided to take this challenge of writing one hundred one-shots about some of my favorite characters of all time. Will I get to 100? ...Probably not, but why not at least try XD?**

**Basically, I'm just writing a one-shot over many variations of prompts listed in Driftstar's challenge. Each one-shot is different and they all stand on their own. Hope you enjoy them and please review!**

* * *

**Prompt 1: Horror**

_**An Act Against Nature**_

"Water: thirty-five liters…Carbon: twenty kilograms...Ammonia: four liters...Lime: one point five kilograms…"

A jester was making notes in the darkness of a castle's dungeon, muttering down the notes he was writing. His desk was littered with spell books and notes, along with other magical equipment. He rubbed his head as he worked, his mismatched gray and yellow eyes indicating he hadn't slept in days.

_Phosphorus: eight hundred grams…Salt: two hundred and fifty grams…Saltpeter: a hundred grams…_

After finally finishing his notes, the magician jester stood up and rushed towards the other side of his 'laboratory.' He cleared the center of the room of all papers and books, making a neat circle around trash and books. He then grabbed what seemed like the skeleton of human body, made out of steel, and delicately placed the body in the center of the room. Smiling to himself, he quickly went to some nearby cabinets he had put in his laboratory dungeon, taking out jars of ingredients.

_Sulfur: eighty grams…Fluorine: seven point five grams…Iron: five grams…_

Getting all the necessary ingredients, the jester ran back to the center of the room. One at a time, he poured each ingredient onto the steel skeleton. Once done, the jester gave a tired, yet excited smile.

_All the elemental compounds of a human body. The skeleton form of a human female._

Small tears started to run down his cheeks.

Soon…soon he would have his beloved daughter back. Soon, he would become the ultimate magician, for he would be able to bring back someone from the dead.

_And to help my tribe in the process…_

Hope burning in his heart, the jester took out a small container that contained his daughter's blood. He poured it into the mixture of ingredients and quickly ran to the back of the room.

_This is it…the moment where I create the first pixl! A human given another chance at life!_

Snapping his fingers, a dark force of energy whirled around the center of the room. The air grew cold and heavier, the magician using most of his energy to keep everything steady. Soon, the elemental ingredients combined with the steel body, starting to take the form of human skin and organs. The jester's eyes grew wide as the shape of a nineteen year old human girl stood.

But not everything was perfect, for some of her skin was still not completely there on her now gray and dark yellow steel bones, giving her a more skeletal appearance. She had very few strands of black hair on her head, her gray and yellow eyes having a robotic, blank look to them.

The jester's daughter started gasping for air, making it sound like it was difficult for her to breathe. She fell to her knees, leaning forward as she tried to breathe. The magician quickly ran to his reborn daughter's side.

"…Rose, can you hear me?" the jester asked softly. "It's me, your father…"

Rose choke up a bit, as she now started to gargle and vomit up blood. She coughed and coughed, almost like her body was tearing her apart. The jester studied this, slowly went back to his desk, and took out his notebook.

"Ah, interesting… So, less natural ingredients and more robotic like organs for body stability…Perhaps a more robotic, smaller body…"

Rose continued to cough up blood, moaning as if she was crying out for help.

"…Where..."

Her voice sounded like the mixture between robotic and human, having it a bit horse from throwing up. The jester gasped.

"You spoke! Oh, dear Rose, you spoke!"

He ran to his daughter's side, his notebook and pen still in hand.

"Speak again, Rose!" the magician asked excitedly. "Say my name! Who am I?"

Rose stared at her father, blood dripping down her mouth.

"…F-fa…fath…_father_…"

The words were barely able to come out. Rose shivered a bit, putting her arms around her cold, naked body. Seeing this, the jester quickly took off his dark poncho and put it on her. He smiled.

"It's going to be alright, my dear daughter," he said softly. "You are alive and soon will be well again."

Rose shivered in reply.

"You have no idea what your rebirth proves, Rose," the jester continued, almost oblivious to his daughter's physical pain. "You prove that it _is_ possible to create life! With this new ability, I can create not only humans, but other types of robots with human emotions and intelligence!"

He held Rose in his arms, trying his best to keep her warm.

"And you, Rose, will be the Pixl Queen! For you are the first of many to come."

"…P-pixl? A reborn human?"

Rose seemed a bit confused by her father's words.

"…Father, what is this?"

The jester turned to see a young boy coming down the dungeon stairs. It was his younger son, holding a dark book in his arms. Once reaching the bottom of the stairs, his eyes grew wide to the sight of Rose.

"F-father!" he exclaimed in complete horror. "W-what have you _done_?!"

"Isn't it great, Dimentio?" the jester spoke. "I have done it, I have brought _her_ back!"

He looked down at his creation.

"Rose, look! It's your brother. It's Dimentio."

Rose's robotic like eyes stared at Dimentio.

"…Brother?" she muttered weakly.

Dimentio's whole body cringed at the sound of his sister's voice. He then turned his attention back to his father.

"Even after all the warnings I gave you and the count, you _still_ went ahead and did it!" Dimentio shouted. "Is this really what you want?"

He gestured towards Rose.

"Look at her, father! She is suffering, even more than she did when she was alive! Do you see it? Your daughter, my sister, that you 'loved' _so_ much covered in blood!"

Dimentio met his father's gaze.

"This isn't Rose, father. And even if it was, she would be just as disgusted with you as I am."

The jester's eyes flashed with anger.

"How can you say that about your sister? I have just done what nobody could have done before! I have brought someone back from the Underwhere, _I have created life_!"

"No, you didn't," Dimentio said coldly. "You've just created a poorly done replica of a human."

He then opened the dark book he held in his hands, turning the pages and glancing over the words.

"According to the Dark Prognosticus, the book which _Rose_ wrote, it states that creating the pixls will be the first cause of our downfall. 'For the Pixl Queen will gather thousands of her brethren to rebel against the tribe that has long enslaved-'"

"Dimentio, _enough_!"

The jester stood up and approached his son, slapping him hard across the face.

"_You know nothing_!" the magician yelled. "Rose may have been a genius, a magician prodigy, but not all of her predictions are correct! No one is perfect, and there has to be flaws in her writing! For…_there must be more to life than an unavoidable death_!"

"…D-death…"

Rose started to cough up blood again.

The jester quickly turned back to his daughter, fear glowing in his eyes, as he quickly ran to her side.

Dimentio watched his father try to comfort his 'sister,' his eyes completely emotionless. He looked back down at the Dark Prognosticus, his sister's life work. 'The owner of this book will never find happiness,' was written on the first page. Not even the author or her family could find happiness, for she died a tragic death and her father had gone completely mad. And her own tribe, who were now so madly in love with advancing and gaining power that they would put human souls into robotic bodies just to be their slaves.

_The Tribe of Ancients…what a _disgusting_ race of beings._

With that thought, Dimentio quietly went up the stairs, many emotions and thoughts going through his mind.


	2. Dreams

**Prompt 2: Dreams**

_**Light in the Darkness**_

Where...where am I? asked Count Bleck.

_ Count Bleck found himself in a large white landscape, his voice echoing around him. The air was as cold as an arctic wind, his cape blowing in the wind. He put his arms around himself, trying to keep himself warm. He found breathing to be a bit difficult, the icy air hurting his lungs. _

What is this place?

_"...Help, somebody help me!" _

Nastasia?

_ The sound of his secretary's voice echoed in Count Bleck's ears. _

_"Help, help!" _

_"Nastasia, where are you?" Count Bleck called. "Tell Count Bleck where you are!"_

_ "Help, help!" _

_Nastasia's voice was growing more desperate, growing weaker. Fear going through his heart, Count Bleck ran in a random direction, trying to find the source of the voice. _

_"Nastasia, keep calling out!" Count Bleck shouted, hoping that she could hear him. "Lead Count Bleck to you with the sound of your voice!"_

_ "Count, Count Bleck!"_

_ Nastasia's voice was growing louder and louder, and Count Bleck felt hope rise with in him. He was getting close, he was going to find her! _

_"...Help!"_

_ Count Bleck stopped all movement. _

_That...that _voice_!_

_"...Timpani?"_

_ "Blumiere, help me!" _

_There was no doubt about it, that was _her_ voice. His truelove, the woman he longed to see again. _

_"Timpani, my love, I'm coming!" _

_But when Count Bleck turned around, he heard Nastasia's voice again. Count Bleck froze, for now both voices echoed in his ears._

_ "Count Bleck, help me!"_

_ "Blumiere, save me!" _

_"Count!"_

_ "Blumiere!" _

_Tears started to form in the dark count's eyes as he put his hands over his ears. _

_"...S-stop!" he shouted at the top of his lungs. "Please, stop it! Don't make them suffer because of..." _

_"Lord Blumiere!" _

_"My love, Blumiere!"_

_ Count Bleck fell to his knees, shaking with cold as the voices continued to torture him. Tears ran down his cheeks, for it was pure torture to hear them in so much pain and despair. _

_"...Please," Count Bleck whispered, his voice cracking. "Please, don't make choose!"_

"Ah ha ha! But I'm afraid you don't have a choice!"

_Count Bleck's eyes widened as he looked up to see someone levitating in front of him. It was a man, but he couldn't see his face clearly, only his mismatched yellow and gray eyes. The dark figure gave a malevolent smile._

"You brought this upon yourself,"_ he said in a mystic voice. _"You wanted to destroy all worlds and everything in them. And that includes the two people you hold most dear."

_The dark figure laughed, making Count Bleck shake in terror._

"You really are pathetic, not able to live with the consequences of obeying the Dark Prognosticus,"_ the figure continued. _"And now you will pay for your ignorance."

_ He snapped his figures and Timpani and Nastasia gave blood curling screams of agony. The dark figure gave a mad, sadistic laugh, while Count Bleck covered his ears trying to block out the voices. _

Stop it, stop it, stop it! Please, oh God, _have mercy on me__!_

"Count, are you okay?"

Count Bleck opened his eyes wide. He sat up in his bed, his body and shirt covered with sweat. He was in his bedroom, no pure white world or dark figures anywhere.

_And no screams._

"...Count?"

Count Bleck turned to see Nastasia standing in front of his opened bedroom door. She was in her robe, her long pink hair in a complete mess as her red eyes gave him a concerned look.

She was unharmed, perfectly healthy.

Count Bleck stared at her for a long moment.

"...N-Nastasia," the count finally said, unable to keep from stuttering. "W-why...?"

"I heard you screaming my name from my room," Nastasia explained. "And you were also screaming..._her_ name too."

There was a small pause as Nastasia walked to Count Bleck's side.

"Luckily, the others didn't hear you," she continued. "But I couldn't help but worry if something was wrong."

Count Bleck sighed, rubbing his forehead.

"I...Count Bleck just had a dream. A dream that he had multiple times before. Only this time..."

He sighed.

"Only this time the stakes were higher and more torturous."

Nastasia gave a puzzled look. "What do you mean by that, if you don't mind me asking, count?"

Count Bleck gave a crooked smile, wheezing out a small laugh.

"It...it is nothing. Only something Count Bleck, and Count Bleck alone, can face by himself. His own inner demons and guilt. However..."

He looked deeply into Nastasia's eyes.

"Count Bleck hopes...that you realize you mean a lot to him. You have no idea...how much he appreciates you."

_No idea at all..._

Nastasia blinked, as if surprised by the counts words. Even in the darkness, Count Bleck could see Nastasia's face grow red as she smiled down on him.

"...Yeah, I know. And I will always be by your side."

She took a hold of his hand.

"Is there anything else I can do for you, count?" Nastasia asked.

Count Bleck nodded as he settled down in his bed.

"Yes. Count Bleck would appreciate it...if you stay by his side until he has fallen asleep again."

Nastasia nodded, her grip on his hand growing tighter.

"K. I will do that."

With that said, the dark count gave her one last smile and closed his eyes, returning to his dreams.

Only this time, his dreams were more pleasant, for he had his best friend by his side.


	3. Pride

**Prompt 3: Pride**

_**A Lesson in Humility**_

"I am awesome."

Mr. L was relaxing in the courtyard at Castle Bleck, laying on the ground as he took a break after upgrading Brobot. O'Chunks, happening to be passing by at moment, heard Mr. L's comment. He stopped walking and looked down at the mechanic.

"What are you talking about, Mr. L?" O'Chunks asked.

Mr. L opened one eye.

"Hi, O'Chunks. I was just telling myself how grand I am, since I upgraded Brobot to be the best robot _ever_!"

There was large emphasis on the word 'ever.'

O'Chunks blinked.

"Oh you did? Well I'm glad for you."

"Wait...your just 'glad?'"

Mr. L sat up, putting his black hat on his head.

"You should be _amazed_!" he exclaimed with full arrogance. "I, Mr. L, the greatest mechanic _ever_, just made the ultimate robot of all time! For no one, not even those pathetic heroes, can beat it!"

O'Chunks narrowed his eyes, obviously not liking the tone of voice Mr. L was giving him. Mr. L smirked, amused by O'Chunks's reaction.

"You really have an ego there, lad," the older warrior finally said. "Be careful of being prideful. Otherwise, it is going to hurt you later on."

He sighed.

"I've seen it happen so many times in the military. It is a very unfortunate thing to learn the hard way, let me tell you."

Mr. L rolled his eyes.

"Whatever. Though speaking of learning, are you ever going to learn English? I swear, your accent muffles every single word you say! It's like you are speaking another language at times, it's that bad!"

He paused of a second.

"Maybe that's the next thing Count Bleck can give you to help defeat the heroes. A better annunciation."

O'Chunks clutched his fists, rage burning in his eyes. Mr. L laughed cruelly, dismissing O'Chunks with his hand as if he was a servant. O'Chunks felt the erg to punch Mr. L right in the face, but miraculously, was able to control himself. He took a step back.

"Alright, you asked for it, lad!" he cried, popping his knuckles. "If it is a lesson in humility you want, it is a less in humility you will get!"

"Holy crap, you actually _know_ complex words!" Mr. L exclaimed, pretending to sound shock. "I am impressed!"

O'Chunks glared at him as Mr. L stood up. Mr. L got out a remote and activated Brobot.

"O'Chunks, meet Brobot L-Type! Brobot L-Type, meet the dimwit, O'Chunks."

There was a small pause as O'Chunks gave a small growl at Mr. L's mockery. Mr. L smiled.

"Brobot says hello. And that he will _kick your ass_!"

Mr. L climbed up and went inside Brobot, getting inside the controls.

"Brobot, attack!" Mr. L exclaimed.

At that moment, Brobot sent out some missiles at O'Chunks. O'Chunks quickly dogged out of the way, making the missiles burn a huge hole in the ground. Brobot continued to shoot missiles, but O'Chunks was fast enough for them to miss and hit other objects, from the dark trees to the castle itself. As he ran out of the way from the missiles, O'Chunks studied Brobot, trying his best to pin-point weak spots.

From what he could get in just a few quick glances, the outside was well set up and protected. The metal was very thick and sturdy, making it look like you had to put a lot of effort to break it. There was well thought-out placement of the missiles and other weaponry, enough to overwhelm anyone. However, the one flaw, at least from what O'Chunks could see, was inside the window where Mr. L sat at with the controls. From that window, O'Chunks could tell the interior was not as well protected. If he could break the glass and hit the interior, Brobot would be able to go down.

O'Chunks smirked. Mr. L growled, getting a bit irritated that this battle was taking so long.

_"You put up a good fight, O'Chunks,"_ Mr. L said over an intercom. _"I'll give you that. But there is just no way you can beat Brobot!"_

He then pressed a huge red button and Brobot opened its humongous mouth. It started to suck in everything in its path, its suction strong enough to pull in anything as large as a cow. O'Chunks's eyes grew wide and he quickly took a hold of a tree, bracing himself. Mr. L smirked, as Brobot's suction grew stronger and stronger. O'Chunks looked around the area, desperate to find something useful. For he had no idea how long he could hold on.

He then saw from the corner of his eye a huge, heavy boulder. O'Chunks smiled. Using all his strength, he made his way to the boulder. Mr. L watched from the safety of Brobot, completely confused as to what O'Chunks was doing. O'Chunks was finally able to reach it, and with much strength, he picked the boulder up and threw it straight into Brobot's suction.

It flew straight into its mouth, causing a huge crash inside the robot. Mr. L gasped. Sparks started to come out of the control panel, indicating that a lot of damaged happened to Brobot's crickets.

"N-no!" Mr. L exclaimed, trying to regain some control over his creation. "Brobot!"

The robot continued to malfunction, twitching and sparking out. Eventually, the giant robot lost all power and collapsed straight to the ground. Mr. L crawled out of the control panel, staring at his beloved creation as it laid broken.

"D-damn it!" he muttered, knowing it was going to take him hours to repair it. He clutched his fists.

How...how could he lose? Brobot L-Type was perfect, he should have been able to beat O'Chunks!

_If I can't beat my comrade, how can I hope to beat the heroes? _

At that moment, O'Chunks approached him from behind. Mr. L refused to look at him, only staring at his shadow.

"Alright, you won. Are you happy?"

O'Chunks narrowed his eyes.

"I told you it would be a painful lesson. An ego can be a very delicate thing."

He tried to help Mr. L stand but Mr. L shook him off.

"Will you get!" he snapped. "You made your point, now leave me alone!"

But O'Chunks ignored him as he helped Mr. L stand up.

"A man's pride can lead him to do great things," O'Chunks said, looking straight into Mr. L's eyes. "But it can also lead him to his downfall. As long as he has humility and mercy to help him keep in the right direction, nothing shall come to harm him internally."

He turned away.

"Remember that next time you go after the heroes. It might lead you to victory. For maybe the reason you keep losing is because your pride blinds you from your own weaknesses."

And with that, O'Chunks left courtyard.

Mr. L watched him go and then turned back to Brobot. Without another word, he slowly pick up his tools and started to repair his life's work. With O'Chunks's words deep within his thoughts.


	4. Defeat

**Prompt 4: Defeat**

_** How NOT to Takeover a Nation**_

"What in the name of Grambi...?"

Count Bleck gave a blank stare as Mr. L and Dimentio come into the room. Nastasia's eyes grew wide, O'Chunks's mouth fell wide open, and Mimi gasped.

For both Mr. L and Dimentio came into the room, their clothes completely worn out and torn, looking like they just got out from a full out brawl. Dimentio's hat was gone and his long black hair was in a complete mess, his mask cracked and most of his poncho was gone. Mr. L's face had many cuts and bruises, his gloves missing and his right pant leg completely torn, along with missing one shoe.

Mr. L gave an awkward smile.

"Uh...hi count! It's so good to see you..."

Dimentio face palmed at Mr. L's poor attempt to distract them. Everyone gave them blank stares.

"...What..._what_ were you guys doing?!" Nastasia finally demanded, her voice mixed with anger and shock. "Did you guys get into a fight with the heroes without the count knowing or what?"

"_Ah ha ha ha ha_!"

Dimentio's voice cracked as he laughed.

"Oh _no_! It is something much more humiliating than that!"

He turned to Mr. L, the edges of his lips twitching as he smiled.

"Care to explain to everyone what happened, Mr. L?" Dimentio asked, though it sounded more like an order. "It was _your_ brilliant idea after all!"

Mr. L glared at him.

"Oh, passing the buck? Some friend you turned out to be!"

"I was never your friend to begin with. You _forced_ me into this."

"Dimentio, I never forced you to do anything. I just simply said that if you didn't help then I would get-"

"And that _was_ forcing me, like a sheriff dragging an outlaw to his execution."

"Dude...you are overreacting. All I said was-"

"_Enough_!"

Both Mr. L and Dimentio turned their attention to Nastasia. Nastasia glared at them for a long moment.

"Now, tell us what happened, _exactly_ how it happened."

She moved her cold gaze to Mr. L.

"Mr. L, since from the sound of it, you were the one who caused this. So you tell the story."

Mr. L groaned softly as Dimentio smirked in triumph.

"...Fine," Mr. L said reluctantly. "It all began early this morning..."

* * *

I was in my room watching videos on this website called thatguywiththeglasses .com. While watching hilarious videos on the site, I came across this movie called Kickassia. It was about a bunch of internet critics taking over this micro-nation named the Republic of Milossia. It was a very good movie, hilarious even. After I watched the entire movie, I stared at my computer screen for a long time, thinking about the movie. I then came up with an awesome idea, my eyes glowing with genius.

If a bunch of low life internet critics could invade another nation and completely overthrow its government, even if it was just for a short time, then why can't I? Why can't I have my own nation of kickassness? Even with the fact Count Bleck was about to destroy everything in a matter of days... But I was bored and it seemed like a good idea at the time!

Running out of my room, I decided to find the one guy who would be powerful enough, and crazy enough, to take over this great micro-nation! After roaming the castle for a while, I finally found him in the library reading a book. I knew I had to approach him carefully about this, so I went up behind him and shouted, "Dimentio, you are going to help take over the Republic of Milossia!"

At the sound of my voice, Dimentio jumped out of his chair, dropping the book he was reading. He glared at me and shouted, "Mr. L, why the hell are you sneaking up on me?! Do you know how _rude_ that is?!"

His voice cracked a lot when he spoke, which was hilarious. But I could not laugh now, I needed to have him on my side. So I said, "Sorry, Dimentio, I was just trying to get your attention. You see I need your assistance."

"Then why did you...?"

Dimentio let out a heavy sigh and face palmed.

"You know...I don't even _want_ to know," he said softly. "You people are utter morons, I should know this by now..."

"Hey!" I exclaimed offended.

Dimentio smiled a bit at my response and looked at me in the eye.

"So, what is so goddamn important that you need to give me a heart attack?"

"Holy crap, you have a heart?!" I asked amazed.

Dimentio narrowed his eyes.

"Of course I do. I need the organ to live, you imbecile."

I gave a blank stare.

"Okay...well, anyway, back to the important stuff."

I took in a deep breath of air.

"Dimentio, I need you to aid me in the takeover of Milossia."

Dimentio stared at me like I was crazy.

"...The takeover of _what_?"

"Milossia," I replied. "It's a micro-nation in Nevada."

"Mr. L, what in the name of the Dark Prognosticus is a 'Nevada?'"

"One of the fifty states in America."

"What's America?"

"A country."

"In what dimension?"

"Uh...the American Dimension? I don't know!"

Dimentio face palmed.

"...Whatever. So, why do you want to take over this 'Milossia?'" he finally asked.

My eyes began to glow.

"Well, you see...I want to invade Milossia because I want to rule own nation!"

There was a short silence.

"...Mr. L," Dimentio said, talking to me as if I was a kid, "you do realize we are all going to get our perfect worlds in a few weeks, correct? Count Bleck is going to destroy all life as we know it. So why takeover a nation, specifically a micro-nation, if it is all going to be obliterated in not even a month's time?"

"I know it doesn't make sense," I answered truthfully. "But we just simple have to do it!"

"Since when did _I_ become part of this?"

Dimentio crossed his arms, his eyes glaring into me as I tried to come up with an answer. It took me awhile to reply, because the way he was looking at me was so damn creepy. Seriously, he could be a horror movie star if he wanted to! When I finally came up with the perfect idea to win Dimentio over, I smirked a bit and said, "Well...I need someone powerful enough to aid me, and you being a magician kind of fits the part."

I let out a sigh.

"But, if you don't want to assist me in this great plan, fine. I will get someone else to do it. Like Mimi."

I turned my back to Dimentio, feeling his gaze upon my back.

"Yep, I'm sure Mimi will join me," I continued, drawing out my words. "We will go to Milossia, together and all alone, to overthrow its government in a glorious fashion! And then we shall, and probably have to, knowing Mimi, rule it together as king and queen! And then-"

"Okay, enough, enough!"

Dimentio teleported to face me, jealousy and anger burning in his eyes.

"Fine, I will help you with this ludicrous scheme," he finally said. "Just so long as you _stay away from Mimi_. Is that clear?"

I smiled.

"I'm glad you see it my way. Though I don't see why me being with Mimi in a political-"

"Shut. Up."

Dimentio snapped his fingers and sent a strong jolt of electricity through my body. He then gave a large, _very_ creepy smile.

"Now...are you ready to take over this Milossia? Because I want to get this done and over with as quickly as possible."

I nodded, though it kind of hurt my neck. Damn, did this guy have a temper!

"Y-yes. So, can you take us there?" I eventually asked.

Dimentio nodded.

"I can. I am the Master of Dimensions after all."

I rolled my eyes at his arrogant response.

Next thing I knew, Dimentio took a hold of my arm and he teleported us out of Castle Bleck. We then arrived at what looked like someone's backyard, surrounded by nothing but desert. The sun was blazing in the sky, and me wearing all black, made it _really_ uncomfortable.

And yet, I was smiling, for I recognized it as the land of Milossia from the movie!

"Awesome, isn't it?" I asked with amazement.

Dimentio looked around the area, tugging on the collar of his poncho and black undershirt.

"...It just looks like someone's backyard. Are we at the capital or..."

His eyes widened.

"When you told me that it was a micro-nation, did you mean that Milossia was only _an acre of land_."

I nodded.

Dimentio face palmed, for like the third time today.

"Mr. L...what do you plan on accomplishing with an acre of land?" he asked, his voice cracking. "Like a children with a water guns playing cops and robbers, you can't do _anything_ with an acre of land!"

"Yes I can!" I exclaimed. "I can get _two_ acres of land! And another acre, and another acre, until Nevada is mine for the taking!"

Dimentio's right eye twitched.

"...I'm...surrounded...by..._idiots_..."

I glared at him in reply.

Suddenly, a large rock came flying out of nowhere and hit Dimentio straight in the face. He fell straight to the ground, his mask cracked and his hat completely thrown off.

"...Ow..."

Dimentio sat up, rubbing the side of his head. My eyes widened. I turned my attention to the capital building, where I saw a guy in a green uniform glaring at us.

"Oh my God!" I exclaimed. "It's the _president_!"

"Well, no shit, Sherlock!" Dimentio snapped, standing up.

Suddenly, a bunch of armed men appeared from the side of the house, all aiming their guns at us. And then a few ninja appeared on the roof, some with nun chunks. I felt my face become pale.

"...Dimentio, think you can get us out of this?" I whispered softly.

Dimentio smiled, a bloodthirsty look in his eyes.

"Oh _yes_. I certainly can."

Snapping his fingers, a large purple and yellow electric sphere appeared in his hand.

"Like the rest of the dimwitted people I live with," Dimentio said with pure confidence. "They won't know what hit them! Ah ha ha ha ha ha! Again, for dramatic effect! _Ah ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha_!"

* * *

"...And so Dimentio threw the sphere and we started to fight," Mr. L said, concluding his story. "It...ended with Dimentio and I getting our asses kicked, mostly by the ninjas..."

He sighed.

"Apparently guns and men knowing martial arts beats magic and a mechanic with no robots to fight for him..."

He turned to Dimentio.

"I even think at one point one of the ninjas thought you were a girl and tried to-"

"_Don't_ remind me," Dimentio said, shivering a bit.

"...Though you can't really blame him," Mr. L replied. "You do look like a girl with your hair down..."

Dimentio gave him the death glare, which made Mr. L immediately stop talking. Count Bleck let out a heavy sigh.

"Well...that is the most _interesting_ story Count Bleck has ever heard. Ever. And he's read the Dark Prognosticus..."

Nastasia, O'Chunks, and Mimi nodded in agreement.

"...And so, Count Bleck hopes that you learned well from this defeat," the dark count continued. "Because Count Bleck _really_ hopes you never do something this..._stupid_, again. Honestly, it's like he's surrounded by idiots half the time! So...does Count Bleck have your understanding?"

Mr. L nodded and Dimentio's left eye twitched in reply.

But even with this defeat, Mr. L didn't feel totally crushed. For when he did get his perfect world, he knew how to protect it efficiently.

Have a lot of ninjas on standby.


	5. Sympathy

**Prompt 5: Sympathy**

_**A Gesture of Affection?**_

Dogging a yellow and purple sphere, Mimi jumped slightly into the air, generating and throwing rubees as she did. Dimentio levitated high above the ground, his clones surrounding Mimi as they all fired electric spheres.

They were in the courtyard, doing some training as they waited for their turn to fight the hero. O'Chunks had just come back from his first fail attempt to stop him, and was a complete mess. Mimi, hoping that she would be picked to fight the hero next, had asked Dimentio to do a short training exercise. Of course, Dimentio would not treat it like an exercise, more like a full out battle, but Mimi was prepared for that. Though she hated his guts for teasing her and stealing her diary all the time, she couldn't help but be glad he does not hold back on training.

_After all, I need to be at my best when fighting Mario. _

That's what the hero's name right, since O'Chunks seemed very confused about it?

Dimentio smiled as he noticed Mimi was starting to get clumsy.

"You seem to be losing your touch, my dear," he said with a hint of arrogance as his clones disappeared. "Your mind seems to keep wondering like dreamy hitchhiker roaming the wilderness."

Mimi narrowed her eyes.

"I'm just thinking about the hero, that's all," she snapped. "Wondering what he will be like when I fight him."

"Ah, but dreaming of him would be better off the training grounds, wouldn't it?"

Dimentio sighed.

"You asked for me to help you train, but if you are going to put up little effort, I'm not going to waste my time."

Mimi growled. "I'll show you!"

Summoning a rubee like sword, Mimi used all her strength to jump and try to hit Dimentio. Dimentio smiled at this response and quickly teleported away before she could attack. Mimi's eyes widened as he reappeared behind her and pushed her to the ground. Mimi lost her balanced and cried out as she fell. Once she landed, her right leg hit the ground in an awkward position which made her scream at the top of her lungs. Tears of pain filled her eyes, Mimi clutching the ground as overwhelming pain went through her right leg. Dimentio gave a puzzled expression.

"What's wrong? You're screaming like you had your leg sawed off."

Mimi's breathing quickened.

"M-my leg really hurts!"

She tried to move it but it only made the pain even worse. Mimi yelped, closing her eyes as she tried to not scream. She could feel Dimentio watching her, though she doubted he would help her. Nor did she want his help. Using all her strength, Mimi tried to stand up, but the moment she moved her right leg, splitting pain would go through her body and she would collapse again. Tears ran down her cheeks, though she did all she could to hold them back.

Suddenly, she felt someone touch her right leg. Mimi gasped and turned to see Dimentio, examining her leg.

"...Your leg is broken," Dimentio said, his voice completely emotionless. "You must have landed on it wrong when you fell."

He sat down.

"This is going to hurt."

Without waiting for a reply, Dimentio moved Mimi's broken leg and put it in his lap. Mimi bit down on her lower lip. She kept her eyes on Dimentio, trying to get an idea of what he was thinking. But no emotion showed on his masked face, or in his mismatched eyes. He had always been good at hiding his feelings, but unlike now, Mimi could at least see something.

Closing his eyes, Dimentio muttered some words in an ancient language. A faint blue light started glow all around her leg, and Mimi's eyes widened in amazement. Slowly, she could feel the pain fading away. Eventually, it was all gone and Dimentio reopened his eyes.

"Do you feel any more pain?" he asked.

Mimi blinked.

"...No," she replied in a low voice.

Dimentio moved her leg from his lap.

"How about now, since I moved it?"

"...No..."

There was a short silence as Dimentio stood up.

"You should be fine now," he said. "It may feel a bit fragile for the rest of the day, but that's because your bones are regaining strength. By tomorrow, it will be good as new."

"Will I still be able to fight the hero?" Mimi asked.

It took awhile for Dimentio to reply. He looked straight into her eyes.

"...I would not recommend it, for it will still be a little weaker than normal and you can get..._hurt_ again."

The way he was staring at her so intensely made Mimi's heart beat faster. Before she knew it, Dimentio offered her his hand.

"I'll take you to the living room so you can rest on the couch. It will be a little hard to walk, with your leg at its weakened state."

A determined look flashed in Mimi's eyes.

"Thank you for the offer, and for healing my leg. But I should be fine on my own."

She then tried to stand up. Immediately, her right leg could not handle her weight and she started to fall over. However, Dimentio caught her just in time, helping her stand up as Mimi leaned into his arms. Their eyes met.

"Don't be a fool," Dimentio said softly. "Just let me help you."

Mimi's face turned bright red.

"I..."

They stared into each others eyes for a long moment. Slowly, Dimentio put his arm under Mimi and picked her up bridal style. Mimi's blush grew even more, her heart pounding even harder. Not even looking at her, Dimentio snapped his fingers and they teleported to the living room. Luckily, no one else was there, for Mimi would have been so embarrassed if someone saw her like this. Dimentio gingerly placed her on the couch, making sure that her leg stayed straight.

"Try not to move unless you have to," Dimentio advised. "Just watch TV and relax. I will come back sometime before dinner to check up on you. Do you understand?"

Mimi nodded her head in reply.

Handing her the TV remote, Dimentio was about to walk away when Mimi cried out, "Wait, Dimentio!"

Dimentio turned to face her.

"Yes?"

"Why...did you heal my leg?" Mimi asked nervously. "I've never seen you use any healing spells before, or seem to show any concern to any of us when we train."

She blushed.

"It just...seems odd."

There was a long silence.

Eventually, Dimentio gave a small smile and shrugged his shoulders.

"I don't know. Maybe for mercy's sake, since you looked so pitiful and in so much pain. It makes as little sense to me as it does to you."

He slowly approached Mimi, and with a bit of hesitation, gently rubbed his hand against her cheek. Staring into her eyes for a long moment, Dimentio's smile grew and he pulled his hand back. He walked away and Mimi watching him go. She placed her hand to her cheek, a million questions going through her mind.


	6. Joy

**Prompt 6: Joy**

_**The Song of Joy**_

Around three in the morning, Timpani and Blumiere laid underneath a tree, sitting quietly as a gently breeze moved passed them. Timpani smiled sleepily, as she enjoyed feeling the warmth of Blumiere's arms. Her heart fluttered in her chest, for she had never felt this way before.

But, it was a good, unknown feeling.

Suddenly, she felt Blumiere move a bit. Timpani looked up at him and saw that he was looking down at his watch.

"It's late, we really need to be heading back home," Blumiere said.

Timpani sighed, leaning in closer to him.

"Aw... But I'm _so_ comfortable!"

Blumiere laughed.

"So am I. But we can't be here forever. ...Even if I would like too."

Timpani nodded in reply.

"Yes..."

A sad look appeared in her eyes, as she thought what would happen if her adoptive parents found her missing. Reluctantly, Timpani stood up.

"Well, I'll see you...tomorrow night, right Blumiere?"

Blumiere smiled.

"Yes. See you then."

Slowly, Blumiere put himself very close to Timpani, staring deeply into her eyes. He gently kissed her on the lips, Timpani's heart stopping as he did. After a long moment, he reluctantly pulled back. He smiled.

"Goodnight, Timpani."

He then teleported away.

Timpani stood where she was for a long moment, her heart pounding in her chest and her face as red as a cherry. Slowly, a dreamy smile appeared on her face, letting out a sigh. The moment replayed in her mind, her joy replacing any weariness in her.

Weariness..._how_ could she be tired? She was just kissed by her true love, she could do anything!

_"Sleep, sleep, I couldn't go to sleep. _

_"My head's too light to try to set it down!_"

Timpani skipped a bit as she made her way home, singing to herself as she expressed the happiness in her heart.

"_I could have danced all night! _

_"I could have danced all night! _

_"And still have begged for more._

_"I could have spread my wings _

_"and done a thousand things I've never done before..._"

Timpani stopped where she was, letting out a dreamy sigh.

"_I'll never know what made it so exciting; _

_"why all at once my heart took flight. I only know when he_

_ "kissed me... _

_"He gave me the energy to dance,_

_"dance, dance all night!_"

Pretending Blumiere was in front of her, Timpani started to dance elegantly like she was in a royal ball.

"_I could have danced all night!_

_ "And still have begged for more! _

_"I could have spread my wings _

_"and done a thousand things I've never done before!_

_ "I'll never know what made it so exciting, _

_"why all at once my heart took flight. _

_"I only know when he_

_"began to dance with me..._"

She did a fast twirl.

"_I could have danced, danced, danced all night!_"

She continued to dance and skip as she made her way home, singing like she had no care in the world. Eventually, she arrived at her house. Humming softly to herself, she went inside and sneaked off to her bedroom. Once she was inside, she closed the door and started to get ready for bed. And even with exhaustion taking over her, she continued to sing.

"_I could have danced all night... _

_"And still have begged for more... _

_"I could have spread my wings_

_ "and done a thousand things I've never done before..._"

Once she was all ready, Timpani laid in her bed, staring at the ceiling. All the moments that she shared with Blumiere, from the first time they met to now, played in her mind.

"_I'll never know what made it so exciting. _

_Why all at once my heart took flight..._"

Her eyes lids grew heavy.

"_I only know when he kissed me, _

_"I could have danced, danced, danced all..."_

She gave a small yawn.

"_night..._"

Timpani's eyes closed her eyes and she fell into a deep sleep.


	7. Triumph

**Prompt 7: Triumph**

_**Who is the Scariest of Them All?**_

"No way, there is just _no_ way!" Mr. L exclaimed, slamming his fists on the dining room table. "There is _no_ way that a little girl is more feared than me!"

I crossed my arms and rolled my eyes.

"Well, it _is_ true! Every time I get into my true form everyone freaks, _including you_! So it would be natural that I would be the scariest minion."

Mr. L's right eye twitched. He was clearly getting frustrated, which was starting to get very annoying.

Then again, what was there to be frustrated about? I knew I was right, many people have been fearful of me since I could remember. I used to hate the fact people were deathly afraid of me, but after serving the incredibly awesome Count Bleck, I've learned to take pride in it. And then Mr. Loser here had to show up and gloat about how intimidating he could be! Don't make me laugh! He was just a mechanic, what's scary about a mechanic? So now we were in this huge argument, and I wasn't going to give up that easily.

Mr. L narrowed his eyes.

"Look, Mimi, just because some people find you scary, including the heroes, doesn't mean you are the most intimidating person here," he said in a low voice. "That's just a few people out of millions and millions from countless dimensions. And I bet the majority of them would find _me_ more terrifying than _you_!"

"And two of those people are big guys who are ten times my size!" I replied. "Seriously, who would be scared of you? Even Dimentio is scarier than you!"

"Did someone say my name?"

As if on cue, Dimentio teleported to us, that never ending large grin on his face. He looked at each of us in the eye.

"So...what are we talking about?" Dimentio asked in a sing-song tone of voice. "The frustration in your eyes is like a wildfire spreading out of control through a delicate forest."

"Shut up, Dimentio," I said, crossing my arms. "This doesn't concern you. Unless you can convince Mr. Loser here that I am one of the most intimidating people ever!"

Dimentio's mouth twitched.

"Ah ha ha ha! My dear, I've seen things that would make your heart stop upon sight! Your spider form is frightening, but it can be easily conquered like any spider."

He turned to Mr. L.

"Though she does have a point. Not even a small child would be fearful of you, Mr. L."

Mr. L glared at him, clutching his fists tightly. I smiled, pleased to see Dimentio standing up for me.

"And yet _you_ are scarier than me?" Mr. L demanded. "Dude, you wear a freaken dress and have the most feminine sounding voice I've ever heard! In fact...are you sure you are a guy?"

Dimentio gave a dangerously low laugh, one that sent chills down my spine and it wasn't even aimed at me!

"First off, my arrogant friend, this is a _poncho_, not a dress. It isn't even long enough to cover my entire body to even be considered one anyway! Second, I just happened to have a softer voice then most men. That isn't in my control, and it is deeper than any woman's voice. And if you want proof that I am indeed male..."

Mr. L's eyes widened and I felt my face grow hot.

"Okay, okay, I get it! You've made your point!"

Dimentio smiled in reply.

I would admit, Dimentio did have a way for giving himself the advantage and making things go his way. His calm manner and his way with words, even with the stupid similes...it was cool how he could be so controlling over any situation. Course, just because I thought that did not mean I like him or anything! The doofus stole my diary all the time, and that was something I could never forgive!

"Though if you two are really that determine to figuring out which of you is the scariest in the eyes of others," Dimentio said, bringing me out of my thoughts. "Then I suggest we find out by seeing what the YouTube community thinks..."

Mr. L gave a blank stare.

"...What is 'YouTube?'" I asked puzzled.

Dimentio smiled.

"YouTube, my dear, is a website on the internet used in a far away dimension where people post videos. And on some of the videos, there are top ten lists counting down the top ten, though sometimes five, of whatever category. From the funniest moments of one's life to their favorite video game characters. And with the video game category, I've seen that some of us appear under it."

Mr. L and I gasped in shock.

"I know, it is truly a surprised," Dimentio continued. "But if we go to YouTube and search under the category The Top Ten Scariest Video Game Characters, perhaps we shall see one of you on it. And the one who appears on the lists the most times, will be declared the scariest minion here at Castle Bleck."

He smiled.

"Sounds fair, does it not?"

It took awhile for me and Mr. L to reply.

Though I didn't like the sound of this YouTube thingy, I really didn't have any better choice. It seemed better then yelling at Mr. L all day, that was for sure. However, if I turned out to be on the lists more than Mr. L, I could totally shove it down his face and say, "I told you so!" over and over again!

...Actually, the more I thought about it, the more I liked the idea!

"Alright, Dimentio," I finally said. "This does seem like the best way to do it."

"...I suppose it will have to do," Mr. L added. "Though I think we all know who will obviously win."

I clutched my fists but said nothing in reply. Dimentio smiled and snapped his fingers to summon his laptop to the table.

"Then let us begin!" he exclaimed cheerfully. "After we watched the videos, we will also look under the comment section to see what other viewers have to say. After all, a viewer's opinion is just as powerful as the video itself."

"Yeah, yeah, just get on with it!" Mr. L snapped. "Seriously, I still need to get Brobot that oil change sometime today."

"Well if you were in such a hurry, then why bother arguing with me about this?" I questioned.

Mr. L narrowed his eyes.

"Now, now," Dimentio said, putting his arms between us. "Let's not fight about this. Nastasia would have our heads if she caught us fighting indoors. We need to be civilized about this."

Both Mr. L and I glared at him, clearly telling him to shut up. Thankfully, Dimentio got the idea and we began our search on YouTube.

* * *

"So, out of all the videos we watched," Dimentio said after two hours of watching top ten lists, "it looks like Mimi is either mentioned or an honorable mentioned and Mr. L doesn't appear in a single one."

He looked at both of us in the eye.

"So, in conclusion, Mimi is the scariest minion of Castle Bleck, decided by the people of YouTube. Congratulations on this amazing accomplishment, my dear."

"Yay!" I exclaimed, jumping up and down. "I have victory!"

I pointed at Mr. L.

"In your face, Mr. Loser! In your _big_ dumb face! I win, I win, I win!"

"God...what is _wrong_ with people?!" Mr. L demanded, trying to have his voice heard over my own. "How...loads of the people they had on the list were scarier than _her_! Why would so many people..."

"Relax, Mr. L," Dimentio said. "You may not be intimidating, but you still have your pride that was not broken like a fragile vase colliding with a baseball."

Mr. L paused for a moment before replying, "You are right, Dim. At least I know that I'm not a freak."

I immediately stopped my taunting.

"Hey...wait, what's _that_ suppose to mean?!"

Mr. L smirked.

"Oh nothing, Mimi. Nothing at all."

He then walked away, even with me shouting after him.

All the triumph I felt was now replaced with anger. Mr. L, what a jerk! He called me a freak, and all because more people thought I was scarier than him! What a sore loser, what a meanie, what a-

"Don't let him get to you, Mimi," Dimentio suddenly said. "He will get over this silly contest in a matter of hours, like how a kid will quickly forgive his friend after stealing his favorite toy."

I blinked, quickly looking over at Dimentio. Dimentio smiled at me.

"Just be happy that you were able to show him that you are someone not to take lightly. That you can take care of yourself and destroy anyone who is in your way."

He put up his laptop.

"That's what is important."

"B-but, he called me a freak!" I cried. "I hate it when people call me a freak!"

"I know, my dear," Dimentio replied, his voice having a soothing tone to it. "The world is cruel and people say horrible things. After all, everyone has called me a freak of nature as long as I can remember."

"But not everyone hates you! You appeared on some of the lists like I did, and down in the comments, one person even said that you were..."

I stopped in mid sentence, my eyes widening at what I was about to say. Dimentio raised an eyebrow.

"What are you trying to say, my dear?"

"Um..."

I tried to prevent myself from blushing as I said it.

"...Cute. They said that you were cute..."

I quickly turned my back towards him, for I knew that I was blushing fiercely. Though why I was, I didn't know, for I never felt this uncomfortable around him before. But just saying what that person said...

I could feel Dimentio's eyes staring into me. I could hear him give a small chuckle and move closer to me. I did my best to not look at him, crossing my arms and getting into a defensive position.

"...You seem to be a bit flustered, my dear," Dimentio whispered. "Do you happen to agree with this person?"

I felt like it was hard to breathe with him so close. When I didn't reply, Dimentio laughed again. Putting his fingers under my chin, he made me look at him.

"_Prenderò il silenzio come un sì. Mi fa piacere che tu, il mio amore._"

"W-what does that mean? Is that French your speaking?"

Dimentio laughed softly.

"No, it is Italian, my dear."

He smiled.

"And now I have the victory of leaving you clueless."

Staring deeply into my eyes, he slowly backed away.

"Ciao!"

He snapped his fingers and disappeared.


	8. Affection

**Prompt 8: Affection**

_**All I Ask of You**_

During the later hours of the night, Dimentio quietly wandered the halls of Castle Bleck. He was deep within his own thoughts, knowing that his flawless plan was almost complete.

Any day now, Mario and the other heroes would get the final Pure Heart from the Underwhere and make their way to the castle to end the battle of all worlds. They would come, thinking that defeating Count Bleck would give them victory, when in reality, it would be their downfall. Because the moment the dark count lays dead, Dimentio would show his true colors and take the power of the Chaos Heart for himself and, at last, have his perfect world!

But before that could be a reality, the heroes would have to leave the Underwhere, which Dimentio knew would take days with the Underwhere slower time differences compared to other dimensions. And the wait was driving him insane, for multiple reasons.

Dimentio sighed heavily, glancing over to see that he had subconsciously wandered to where his and his coworkers' rooms were. And he was standing right in front of the room that belonged to the coworker he was closest to, the only one he ever associated with, Mimi.

Dimentio felt his heart start to race.

Though he had denied it multiple times, to himself and others, he was finding that his attraction for Mimi was growing stronger and stronger. What exactly was it about her that he felt himself drawn to, he had no idea, but it was growing more out of control by the day. No longer did he just long for her attention by stealing her diary, but he wanted to hear her voice all the time, hold her close to him so she wouldn't leave him, kiss her all over, along with other desires. Of course, Dimentio had told himself countless times that once he would have his perfect world; he could create an exact replica of Mimi and finally have his way with her, if he still had his overwhelming urges.

But now that he had a lot of free time on his hands while waiting for the final phase of his plan, he found out that was not all he wanted. He didn't just want show affection to Mimi, but for her to do the same. And not just a copy of her to do what he wanted, but from _her_ and under _her_ free will.

Dimentio stared at Mimi's bedroom door, inner conflicts rising within him.

He had vowed in the past that he would never long to be with another human being, that he wouldn't long to have someone love him as he loved them.

But apparently, his weak heart hadn't learned its lesson yet.

Dimentio stared at the door for a long moment, the lust he had been holding in for so long trying desperately to come out. It was obvious that if he didn't do something soon, he was going lose it completely, possibly enough to ruin his plan that had come so far. He had to find a way to satisfy it.

With a large grin upon his masked face, Dimentio knocked on the door. To his relief, the lights were on inside, telling him that Mimi was still awake.

"Hold on a second!"

The sound of her voice made Dimentio's heart skip a beat; however his expression continued to be emotionless.

Eventually, Mimi opened the door, wearing a long pink robe over her night clothes. Her eyes widened at the sight of Dimentio.

"Dimentio, what are you doing out here so late?" Mimi asked, shocked. "Shouldn't you be in bed by now?"

"Should I?" Dimentio replied coolly. "Am I not allowed to go where I please in the castle I live at?"

"Well...I guess not."

There was an awkward silence.

"...So what do you want?" Mimi finally asked. "You must have a reason for coming here in the middle of the night."

"Actually, my dear," Dimentio said cutting her off, "it is ten forty-nine, almost ten fifty."

Mimi rolled her eyes at Dimentio's smartass correction, but it only made his smile grow.

Along with his longing to be closer to her.

"But anyways, my dear," Dimentio continued, trying to keep in control over his emotions. "I was hoping if I could have a little private chat with you. _Alone_."

There was a strong emphasis on the word 'alone.'

Mimi raised her eyebrow suspiciously, telling him that she could tell something was up. But to his relief, she just sighed.

"Whatever. I can't sleep anyways, so talking to you won't be too bad."

She opened the door wider.

"Well, I guess you can come in instead of just standing out here in the hall."

She narrowed her eyes.

"But don't you _dare_ don't touch anything!"

Dimentio smiled.

"I wouldn't take advantage of your hospitality, my dear."

"That's a lie."

Dimentio chuckled in reply.

He stepped into Mimi's room, which was largely decorated in posters of boy bands and attractive male celebrities, along with containing everything a normal teenage girl would have in her room. He could even see her diary on her nightstand, so poorly protected and in the open.

And though Dimentio had sneaked his way into her room countless of times; this was the first time he had been invited in by Mimi. It was also the first time that the two of them had been alone in the same room together, where no one else could hear them or walk in at any minute. That, and the fact they were alone in a bedroom of all places, made Dimentio feel more nervous and out of his realm of control. However, to his partial relief, Mimi didn't seemed to notice it as she closed the door and leaned against the wall. She crossed her arms.

"So...what is it that you want to talk about? Is there something bothering you?"

Dimentio smiled, backing away a bit to make sure there was enough space between him and Mimi.

"Well, I wouldn't say that anything is bothering me. But I was just wondering..."

He paused for a moment, thinking something he could say.

"...how you were feeling about the whole thing. After all, we have been working for the count for months now and it is almost coming to an end. So I was curious how you felt about almost obtaining your perfect world."

Mimi blinked, looking like she was surprised by Dimentio's question.

"I...well, I..."

She stuttered a bit, acting like she couldn't come up with an answer.

"...I don't really know what to feel, honestly," Mimi finally answered. "The whole idea about me ruling a perfect world just seems...so unreal."

Dimentio raised an eyebrow underneath his mask.

"What do you mean?"

Mimi shrugged her shoulders.

"I can't really explain it, but it is just something I feel. Like when I first came to work for Count Bleck, I was completely into the idea and would do anything the count asked from me, no questions asked. But now, after all we've been through and how close it is to being a reality...my mind just almost rejects the idea. Like saying it's a fantasy and it can never exist, no matter what anyone says."

Dimentio stared at Mimi, surprised to see that kind of response from her.

Until now, Mimi always seemed like a self-centered, immature girl who was boy obsessed and was easy to manipulate. But now...she seemed almost mature and thoughtful, great intelligence in her gaze.

Dimentio's heart pounded harder in his chest, causing him to start sweating.

"But...wanting to know my opinion on our mission is not why you are here, is it?"

Mimi looked deeply into Dimentio's eyes.

"You seem tense, Dimentio."

Dimentio gave a shaky laugh.

"Ah ha ha ha! I'm not tensed, my dear Mimi. I'm just a little...chilled, that's all. I might be catching a small cold."

Mimi rolled her eyes.

"Denial!"

She sighed.

"Look, Dimentio, I know you better than that, despite what you think. I'm not an idiot. So, tell me what's wrong."

Dimentio avoided eye contact, continuing to laugh.

"...Perhaps I've underestimated you, Mimi," he said smoothly. "Out of everyone here, I can safely say that I do have a little respect for you. You are not a completely imbecile like O'Chunks, you are not blinded by arrogance or self-pity like Mr. L and Count Bleck, nor are you so selfless that you lose all respect for yourself like Nastasia. In a way, Mimi, you are the most stabilized out of all of us. And in my longing for perfection, I may even envy you a bit. For I myself am too extreme when it comes to emotions."

His eyes moved to where the diary was on the nightstand. He slowly made his way over towards its direction, distracting Mimi as he continued to speak.

"As a perfectionist, it angers me that I am like this. But no matter how controlling I am, I cannot change who I am. Which is part of the reason why I want a perfect world so badly, so I don't have to worry about emotional breakdowns. Every emotion leads to imperfection, whether it is love, hate, pride, or sympathy. And that, my dear, leads to no longer having control over one self."

He smiled.

"But until my perfect world is here, I have to live with my unorthodox emotions and find a way to control them and my surroundings. And so..."

Without another word, Dimentio swiftly picked up Mimi's diary. Mimi's eyes widened and gasped as she moved closer to the bed.

"Dimentio, put my diary back down!" she shouted furiously. "If you teleport out of here, I swear to God..."

"Ah, calm down, my dear," Dimentio said, greatly enjoying the control he had over Mimi. "I do not intend to leave here with your precious diary. I'm only using it to persuade you, like how a salesman will bribe customers with sales."

Mimi blinked.

"Persuade me? What nonsense is that suppose to mean?!"

Dimentio's smile grew.

"If you just do a little thing for me, then I will give you back your diary and I will be on my way. Just a simple request, that's all."

Mimi glared at him, her eyes burning with a mixture of anger, confusion, and fear. Dimentio's emotions were being sprung into a frenzy, just by the look in her beautiful eyes. But miraculously, he still had enough control by saying his request in a very soft voice.

"I want you, my dear, to...kiss me."

Mimi's eyes widened.

"_W-what_ did you say?" she demanded, her voice cracking.

Dimentio smiled, his grip tightening on the diary.

"I want you to kiss me," he repeated. "It is not too much to ask, is it?"

Mimi said nothing in reply, her eyes having a blank look to them as she stared at Dimentio. A large blush made its way to her face, looking as if she couldn't comprehend what he had said.

Dimentio felt himself start to grow impatient from the lack of response, knowing that he was about to lose it altogether at any moment. The longing, the lust, the desire...

"This shouldn't be a hard thing to think about," Dimentio finally said, unable to hide the longing in his voice any longer. "If you want your diary back, all you have to do is do it."

"Will you shut up!" Mimi suddenly cried, her face completely red. "This isn't as simple as you make it sound!"

She turned her back towards Dimentio.

"I...you never...when did _this_ suddenly happen?"

She mumbled questions to herself, obviously confused about the situation. Dimentio watched her, waiting, hoping, that she would make her choice soon. Finally, Mimi turned back to face him, looking a bit calmer now.

"Okay...let me ask you this," Mimi said, forcing her voice to stay steady. "Why...no, how long have you...uh..."

She stuttered as she tried to say the right words.

"...Are you trying to ask how long I've been attracted to you?" Dimentio questioned. "Or why am I all of a sudden acting like this?"

Mimi nodded. Dimentio forced himself to smile.

"If you know me as well as you say you do, then I would think the answer would be obvious. Like how a rose stands out in a garden of tiger lilies."

The edges of his mouth began to twitch.

"So, what is your decision, my dear? A simple token of affection is all I ask."

There was a long silence, both Dimentio and Mimi staring into each others eyes.

Dimentio tried to get an idea what Mimi was thinking, what she was feeling, but her eyes were expressionless. Whatever she was thinking, he could not tell, and it was driving him mad.

And just when he thought he was going to snap, Mimi slowly approached him. She stood so close to him that their faces were only inches apart. Dimentio felt his whole body tense up, unable to do a thing about it, as Mimi stared into his eyes. Slowly, she put her hand to the edge of his mask, lifting it up just a tiny bit. She leaned up and kissed straight on the lips.

And just like something snapped inside of him, Dimentio used his magic to turn off all the lights in the room. Dropping the diary and tearing off his mask, he pushed Mimi towards the bed and got on top of her, kissing her passionately and almost aggressively.

By the time Dimentio had any idea what he was doing, he was completely out of breath with his heart pounding. He sat up a bit, breathing heavily as he laid on top of Mimi. He couldn't see her in the pitch black room, but he had the feeling he had terrified her.

Neither of them said anything, only the sounds of Dimentio's heavy breathing could be heard.

"...You've been hurt, haven't you?" Mimi finally said, her voice so soft Dimentio could barely hear it. "That's why you've been holding it in all this time, isn't it?"

Dimentio said nothing in reply. He felt a hand gingerly touch his face.

"You really are a doofus, aren't you?" Mimi said with a hint of humor. "If you weren't so focus on being isolated from people and getting your perfect world, perhaps you wouldn't have suffered like this. Whatever happened to you, I can assure you not everyone is like that."

Bringing his face closer to hers, Mimi kissed him again. Dimentio kissed her back, his emotions pouring out of him as a few tears fell from his dark eyes.


	9. Soft

**Prompt 9: Soft**

_**Domination of the Heart**_

"Well, it was wonderful seeing you again, Blumiere," Timpani says with a large smile. "I can't wait for our next meeting!"

Blumiere nods in reply, slowly standing up to face Timpani.

"Yes... Hopefully we can meet up again soon."

He sighs.

"However, that will depend on if I can sneak out. If my father finds out what I've been doing..."

He loses his words. Timpani gives a concern look.

"Even though I greatly enjoy our nights together, I don't want to put you endanger. We can't just think about ourselves all the time, you know."

"I know," Blumiere replies. "But it is so frustrating! I've...never met anyone like you, Timpani. I don't want to lose you..."

Timpani smiles sympathetically.

"I feel the same way. But we have to be reasonable."

She starts to head towards her home. But before she leaves, she makes one last glance at Blumiere.

"By the way, Blumiere. That jester who works for you that we found injured the other night. He's alright, isn't he?"

Blumiere nods his head.

"Yes, Timpani, Dimentio is fine. His injuries are healing and he will be back on his feet fairly soon. You don't have to worry about him."

There is a small hint of irritation in Blumiere's voice, but Timpani seems to be oblivious to it. She smiles.

"Good. He was so badly wounded I was afraid he wouldn't get better! He was a little odd, but I wouldn't want anything bad to happen to him."

She pauses.

"...He will keep our meetings a secret, right? You two didn't seem to have a great relationship from the way you acted so coldly to each other..."

"He won't tell my father about us," Blumiere quickly reassures. "I _will_ make sure of that."

There is a short silence, Timpani meeting Blumiere's gaze.

"...Don't be too harsh on him, Blumiere. And if you need me to help persuade him, I'm sure I could find something that he would find worthwhile."

She tries to give a cheerful smile.

"See you next half moon, Blumiere!"

And with that, she leaves. Blumiere watches her go, a million things going through his mind as to what he is going to do with Dimentio.

_If I can't keep that bastard quiet, we're finished! _

_"My, my! That fair girl really has you on a leash, doesn't she?"_

Blumiere's eyes widen.

He turns to see Dimentio appear beside him.

"You have become quite soft, my dear lord," Dimentio says with a large grin on his pale blue face. "Never in my life have I've ever seen you talk so gentle, so lovingly..."

Blumiere narrows his eyes.

"Be quiet, half-blood! You are already over your head as it is."

Dimentio laughs, though anger clearly shines in his mismatched eyes.

"Do not use my heritage against me, my lord. I've proven to your father that I am useful to the Tribe of Darkness. My magic already surpasses your family's, and I can be a great asset."

His eyes darken.

"Or a great enemy."

Blumiere growls, knowing that he is trapped. He knows that making Dimentio angry is only going to cause more problems, since he's already seen him with Timpani.

_I can't let my emotions control me. I have to protect Timpani!_

"...What do you want, Dimentio?" Blumiere finally asks, trying his best to keep his voice steady. "Are you here to blackmail me?"

"Not exactly," Dimentio says, clearly enjoying the control he has over Blumiere. "Even though I could gain _so_ much from blackmail, that is not my intent."

Blumiere raises an eyebrow.

"...Then why are you here if you don't want to lead me into ruin? I know you have an interest in the Dark Prognosticus..."

"I do, but I'm not willing to betray my employer who is saving me from death's doors by stealing the dark book. Unlike you and your act of treason."

Blumiere clutches his fists tightly but he forces himself to stay silent.

"If you want me to stay silent, I want you to put an end to this."

Blumiere's eyes widen. He stared at Dimentio.

_Did...did I just hear what I think I heard?_

"...You just want me to stop seeing her? That's it?" Blumiere questions. "And you want nothing else?"

"Yes, my lord," Dimentio replies. "All you are doing is causing trouble between the two tribes. Like Romeo and Juliet, your 'undying love' will just land you in disaster and cause unnecessary drama. And when that drama comes, all you will be doing is causing pain to the one you care about so much about. Poor fair Timpani, her ravishing eyes that are the color of the sky, in tears because her poor lover sent her to a hell that she can never escape! Her authentic white skin bruised with her clothes torn, showing her perfect figure..."

He continues to ramble on and on. At first, Blumiere doesn't pay that much attention to it. Dimentio is threatening him to abandon the woman he loves! He couldn't do that, he will die without her! How dare he, a jester half-blood, tell him, a soon to be count of the Tribe of Darkness, what to do!

But then Dimentio starts to describe Timpani in _great_ detail. Blumiere looks into Dimentio's eyes as he rambles, and sees a look that he _never_ thought he would ever see in the cold jester's eyes.

"...And yet you say _I'm_ growing soft."

Dimentio ceases talking. He glares at Blumiere.

"What is that suppose to mean?"

Blumiere meets Dimentio's gaze.

"You call me soft for being fond of Timpani, and yet _you_ are doing the same thing. You are describing her as if she was some sort of goddess, not to mention the longing look in your eyes."

He narrows his eyes.

"And if this wasn't Timpani, I would find you actually falling for someone very amusing. But I cannot allow you to fall in love with Timpani."

For the first time in his life, Blumiere sees shock on Dimentio's face. He no longer does he have his calm, slightly cold hearted look, but an actual sign of weakness.

Dimentio is silent for a long moment, avoiding eye contact with Blumiere as a faint blush appears on his face.

"...What can I say? She is a very beautiful woman," the jester finally says. "And she is so kind too. From when she helped me after a spell gone wrong..."

His eyes grow distant.

Overwhelming anger goes through Blumiere.

"She is a wonderful person, which is why I'm not giving her up!" he spats. "I won't stop seeing her so that you can have a chance with her!"

Dimentio eyes widen, shocked by the threatening tone in Blumiere's voice. But it quickly changes from shock to disgust.

"Don't talk about Lady Timpani as if she is an object," he says in a low voice. "She is a kind, perfect being with who deserves respect!"

"And how would you know that?" Blumiere challenges. "You've only met her once! Even if you eavesdropped on our conversation tonight, you couldn't possibly know what she is like!"

"And like you know her inside out? Do you really believe you know _everything_ about her just by seeing her like this? Of course you wouldn't, for otherwise you would know that Timpani risks her life coming to see you by getting passed her abusive family!"

Blumiere's eyes widen.

"W-wha..."

Dimentio crosses his arms.

"Oh, don't tell me you haven't seen the emotional scars she has in her eyes? I can see them as clear as day, for they are the same looks I've seen so many times. You think you have it rough with your over-controlling dad, but that is nothing compared to a neglecting one. One who wouldn't care if you were on the brink of death or sleeping with a member of the enemy tribe."

Blumiere shakes a bit, the information that is being given to him overwhelming him.

Is this...is this true? Timpani has always been reluctant to tell him details about her family. Can this be...the reason?

_But...how would Dimentio know this? _

Blumiere stares at Dimentio.

"...You have been watching her, haven't you? You've be pretending to be so injured that you couldn't work so that you could sneak off and watch her from afar..."

Dimentio says nothing in reply, only glaring at the dark lord. Blumiere clutches his fists.

"...Tell me this, Dimentio. Tell me...what does Timpani think of me when I'm not around?"

Dimentio is silent for a moment.

"...She is fond of you. I can see it in her eyes when she is around you. She...also writes about how great you are in a diary that she keeps. A lot."

Jealousy burns in his eyes. Blumiere blinks, his heart beating faster at the thought of Timpani thinking about him. A small smile appears on his lips.

"...I think that settles are disagreement, Dimentio. If I am someone who makes her happy, then I should continue to see her."

He met Dimentio's gaze.

"After all...we need to have her best interests in mind. Her happiness."

Dimentio clutches his fists.

"I..."

"If you care about Timpani, you will allow me to see her, along with not mentioning this to my father," Blumiere says, cutting him off. "Since it would seem that she has made both of our cold hearts melt with her gentle nature."

He turns his back on him.

"Goodnight, Dimentio."

With that said, Blumiere walks away, with Dimentio's loathing gaze burning into him.

* * *

**Author's Note:**

**I don't know if this fits the prompt a 100%, but it was the best I could come with. I will say, this was a hard prompt to write about. But, hopefully you all enjoyed it, even if it didn't fit it too well. Hoped you enjoyed the one-shot and please review!**


	10. Cold

**Prompt 10: Cold**

_**A Cold Mask**_

Cold.

That is what everyone calls me.

Cold, heartless, unfeeling.

I hear them say that I was born without a heart, that I enjoy seeing suffering and death.

Ah ha ha ha...

They have _no_ idea how wrong they are!

They say that a person who smiles a lot is just trying to hide the pain they feel. And if that's the case, my smile should be the largest of them all.

Do they really think that I smile all the time because I am truly happy?

My smile is like the mask I wear, hiding my feelings from the rest of the world.

Ah ha ha ha...

Back when I was a child, back in a time people would consider myself 'sane...'

I allowed myself to love, I allowed myself to form attachments to other people. I was an orphan and lived in a tough town, but I had one thing that could always keep me smiling.

My little sister.

Ah ha ha ha...

My sister. I loved her so much.

She looked up to me and I was her protector. We were always together, never arguing or fighting like most siblings. We were all that we had, we completed our worlds.

And then...she was taken away from me...

At the tender age of six, she was stolen from me by an invisible hand. My heart got crushed, and I shunned the world. I no longer was happy but...

Cold.

Ah ha ha ha...

Years past and life became crueler and crueler. The world I lived in was unbearable. I even taught myself how to travel to different dimensions, going from one world to another. But I hated all of them, for how could I live anywhere if I can't find something to live for?

And then...I met _her_.

Ah ha ha ha...

A true goddess among men. She came to me in my darkest hour, saved me from death. She took me in to her home, talked to me and took care of me.

I...was touched.

She was just as innocent as my sister, one so delicate and in need of a protector. We quickly became friends, and I knew I _had_ to be with her, for my heart started to beat again. But she was a princess, and there was no way to get close to her!

That was, unless, I sacrificed my pride and became a lowly jester to serve her.

Ah ha ha ha...

I no longer was I a person, but a clown with amusing magic tricks. I had no rights, no voice, no longer the owner of my life. I was the dog of the castle, the laughing stock.

But in return, I was with _her_ every second of the day, I was able to get to know her. We became closer and closer and closer...

Till finally, in the darkness of her bedroom, she whispered in my ear that she loved me.

I was happy again, expressing my feelings by smiling a true smile.

And then everything fell apart.

Ah ha ha ha...

My fair princess was taken away from me.

Taken away...by a the evilest of men.

He, a rich prince, came to the castle and asked for her hand in marriage. She refused, but he would not take no for an answer, like a stubborn dog.

Ah ha ha ha...

Her father forced her to marry the man, but she told me that she would always be mine. Her fiance found out about our affair, and if he couldn't have her all to himself...

No one can.

So he did the worse thing he could do to me, by staining her neck red.

Ah ha ha ha...

First my sister was taken, then my pride, and then my lover...

Agony went through my heart.

Pain, anger.

And so I stained his body in red, I stained the whole castle in red.

Red. The color of passion and love.

But no longer could I see red, but monochrome black.

Cold, despairing black.

Cold...

Ah ha ha ha...

I laugh and smile not because I enjoy what I do, but because if I don't, then I would be nothing.

If people could really see me, took the time to find out, perhaps I would be understood.

But they can't, foolish people. Nor will they ever.

Because once I get the Chaos Heart, they will all be gone.

I will erase them, sacrifice them so that I can finally be in a perfect, secure place where I can finally take off my mask.

And maybe...see them again.

My sister.

My love.

Ah ha ha ha...

Cold. Maybe life would have been easier if I truly was that.

Cold...

* * *

**Author's Note:**

**Well guys, summer is almost over. It is the middle of August and most of us are probably getting ready for school to start again. And with school about to start for me, I will have to take a step back from my fanfics.**

**Since I need to put more time into my bigger fanfics, this one will only be updated once, maybe three times a month (depending on what happens). I may even have to go without updating for an entire month if school gets _really_ busy. I don't know what is going to happen, but I thought I would warn you guys that updates will become less frequent.**

**Anyways, hoped you like the one-shot and please review!**


	11. Rage

**Prompt 11: Rage**

_**Perfect Girl**_

"Everything is going according to the words of the Dark Prognosticus, exclaimed Count Bleck!"

Count Bleck paced around the room, a determined, twisted look glowing in his eyes. I wrote down a few notes on my clipboard, listening to my count as he rambled on.

"...Soon these cursed worlds will be no more," Count Bleck continued. "They will soon all pay for what they did to Count Bleck! They will feel happiness being ripped out of them as it was done to him!"

I nodded my head slowly.

"Yes they will, my count. No one can stop you."

A sad look appeared in my gaze. But I quickly tried to hide it, for I couldn't show that I disapproved my count's ambitions. I heard Count Bleck stop his pacing.

"Nastasia, what is wrong, asked Count Bleck?"

I immediately stop writing.

"...It is nothing, my count..."

My voice, which normally sounded confident and firm, became unsure and soft. My weaker side was being shown, a side to me that I never let anyone see.

Count Bleck narrowed his eyes.

"Nastasia, speak up. Tell Count Bleck what is bothering you."

I sighed heavily, avoiding eye contact.

"It's just that...you used to care about the universe so much," I said softly. "You used to be so optimistic and kind. It's just...hard to see you like this."

There was a long silence.

"...Things change, Nastasia," my count finally said coldly. "Lord Blumiere is long dead. Only Count Bleck remains."

"I-I know."

"Then why are we having this conversation?"

"I-I-I..."

I couldn't help the stuttering.

I looked directly into Count Bleck's yellow eyes, staring at the features of his handsome face. I felt my heart beginning to race.

"...I was just thinking," I finally confessed softly, "if that you were able to find happiness again, you wouldn't have to do this. If you were able to find...a girl that could be just as good as _her_."

_A girl like me, who loves you more than her own life. _

Count Bleck narrowed his eyes. But before I could read what emotion was in them, he quickly turned his back on me.

"...You could never hope to compare yourself to Timpani, Nastasia," my count said emotionless. "Don't even try to deceive yourself into believing that. For I love her and _only_ her."

I felt like my heart was stabbed with a million knives. I tightened my grip on my clipboard.

"...I understand," I apologized. "Forgive me for even bringing up the topic."

I gave a respectful bow.

"I must go. Don't overwork yourself, K?"

I then quickly left the room, closing the door behind me. I stood in the hallway of the dark castle for a long moment, my beloved count's words echoing in my head.

_"You could never hope to compare yourself to Timpani, Nastasia. Don't even try to deceive yourself into believing that."_

It was true, every last word.

Why did I bother getting my hopes up? Count Bleck would never love me the way I loved him. I'm only a pawn in his eyes, just some piece of a puzzle to achieve a goal. Only Lady Timpani ever mattered to him.

I clutched my fists tightly as I walked down the hallway to my room.

Timpani...what made her so great anyway? She was just some random peasant girl from the Tribe of Ancients who just happened to have a kind heart! So what if she healed him after he fell from a cliff? If it had been any other girl, he would have fallen in love with her instead of Timpani!

Timpani...

She was glamorous in every way. She had the perfect feminine face, perfect golden blonde hair, perfect sky blue eyes, perfect figure. She was perfectly nice, perfectly gentle, perfectly likable. And what was I compared to her? Bland. Cold. Manipulative. A witch. Compared to her, I was nothing. Nothing but an ugly, blind bat next to a beautiful rose.

Timpani...

I entered my room and locked myself inside. I dropped my clipboard to the ground and clutched my teeth together.

Timpani...

I hated that bitch. It was because of her my life was a living hell! It was because of _her_ I was second-rate, it was because of _her_ that my count was in this much pain! It was because of _her_ that the Dark Prognosticus's evil prophecy was coming true! It was because of _her_ we were all going to die! It was all _her_ fault, _her_ fault, _her_ fault!

"...I hate you," I muttered out loud. "I _hate_ you!"

In a blind rage, I picked up my clipboard and threw it against the wall. I screamed, so loudly it could have rocked the entire castle. I cried, I threw object after object at the wall, cursing that 'perfect little angel's' name with an undying passion.

"_I hate you, I hate you, I hate you_!"

Eventually, I tired out and ran out of things to throw. I fell to my knees, my eyes staring blankly at the huge dent I made in the wall. I panted heavily, the words 'I hate you' ringing in my mind. Tears started to run down my cheeks.

Why...why did she have to be so damn perfect?


	12. Empty

**Prompt 12: Empty**

**_To Kill What's Already Dead_**

"The castle is under attack!" a royal soldier of the Tribe of Darkness exclaimed at the top of his lungs. "All men, report to the front entrance! We must not let this maniac reach the count!"

More royal soldiers ran through the hallways of the dark castle, each armed with lethal weapons strong enough to take out an entire nation. In the back of the throne room, one of the most powerful royal counts of the Tribe of Darkness, Count Saturnus, hid. He knew that he was done for, since the entire city that he had sworn to protect was in nothing burnt ruins. The psychotic murderer who was the cause of all this destruction came out of nowhere and started killing everyone while burning every building to the ground. There was no warning, no time to react. The kingdom was in complete chaos, there was absolutely nothing that Count Saturnus could do about it.

And yet not a single emotion was seen on his face.

He could hear his men fighting, the scent of blood and death quickly making its way into the air of the castle. The fighting became louder and louder every second, and the count knew that the murderer was coming after him. His death was unavoidable, these were his final moments of life. And what pathetic moments they were.

Eventually, the halls of the castle grew quiet, so silent that the single drop of water could be heard. Suddenly, the doors to the throne room slam opened.

"_Father_!" the murderer cried at the top of his lungs, his white suit completely drenched in blood. "_Count Saturnus!_ _I know you are here, show yourself you blue bastard_!"

Count Saturnus said nothing in reply, his emotionless eyes staring into space. Robotically, he stepped out of his hiding place. The murderer watched his every movement, holding a black book in his arms, his yellow, demon like eyes glowing with a mixture of emotions. Count Saturnus walked up to the murderer, staring at him straight in the eyes.

"...Is this what has it finally come to, Blumiere, my son?" he said with no emotion. "Has this girl really brought you to betray your own people, to bring you down to this low of a level?"

Blumiere narrowed his eyes, clutching tightly onto the book.

"_Don't you dare say that about Timpani, you murderer_!" he cried. "_You killed her and her family in cold blood_!"

"And so what if I did?" Count Saturnus questioned. "She was a threat to my legacy, she needed to be eliminated. She also served little use to the Tribe of Ancients, so it was not a big loss."

Blumiere shook with pure rage, his wrath and grief so overwhelming that he could not speak. Count Saturnus narrowed his eyes.

"You were always a failure of a son, Blumiere. You were always weak-minded and too trusting of people. I thought keeping you under intense conditions would toughen you up. But apparently I was wrong, for you stooped so low as to mate with a human."

He sighed.

"You should be thanking me that I stopped you in time before you and that human could have produced a half-blood child. The last thing we need was another abomination like that to worry about."

He turned his back on Blumiere, walking forward a bit as he stared blankly at the stone wall.

"I can already see that you are becoming under the influence of the Dark Prognosticus," Count Saturnus continued. "You've already used its dark power to kill everyone in this village and castle. Not much from what I expect from a traitor."

"_Shut up_!" Blumiere exclaimed. "It was the Tribe of Darkness that betrayed me! They _deserved_ what they got!"

There was a small pause.

"...Even in your wrath, you cannot full commend yourself to hate," Count Saturnus said softly. "You are truly a waste of potential, a pathetic dark being."

Count Saturnus turned back to face his son.

"What are you waiting for? You loathe me for what I did to your beloved. You have come this far, so fully merge yourself with it."

Blumiere's eyes widened, completely shocked to hear his father say those words. But the shock only lasted for a second as Blumiere quickly opened the Dark Prognosticus. He read the text, his eyes glowing with madness from the knowledge he was gaining. Count Saturnus watched his son completely lose himself, but yet did or show nothing. Soon, Blumiere's stiff body becomes relaxed, a twisted smile making its way to his lips. Soft laughter escaped him, growing louder and louder by the second. He then met his father's gaze.

"...Blumiere hopes that you feel the same agony he is feeling as you die," Blumiere said, his voice now dark and rough. "For those are his last wishes before he fully becomes one with me, the great Count Bleck!"

He laughed at the top of his lungs.

Count Saturnus said nothing, as Count Bleck used the power from the Dark Prognosticus to power up his own dark magic. A dark cloud appeared over him, it being sent towards Count Saturnus's direction, slowly consuming his soul from the inside out. But Count Saturnus did nothing to resist the numbing pain or fight back to save his life. His expression stayed emotionless, his eyes never leaving the boy who was once his son. Though Blumiere's last true wish was to have his father suffer like had suffer, Count Saturnus knew that he could never grant that wish.

For Count Saturnus was already dead.

Eventually, the entire dark cloud consumed the leader of the Tribe of Darkness, leaving only the satanic laughs of Count Bleck to remain in the castle.


	13. Pleased

**Prompt 13: Pleased**

_**A Teacher and Her Apprentice**_

"I did it, _insegnante_!" a six-year-old boy exclaims as he summons a purple and yellow electric sphere. "I was finally able to cast the spell! Are you seeing this, _insegnante_?"

In the back of a large black room, a middle-aged woman looks up from her writing desk. She sees the boy as he has holds up the magic sphere, making a small smile appears across her pale face.

"Well done," she says in a cold smooth voice. "Now that you have summoned it, can you throw it and hit a target?"

The boy's yellow and gray eyes grow wide.

"I…I can, _insegnante_! Watch!"

With all his strength, the boy throws the sphere into the wall. However, the strength in his throw is very clumsy and ill controlled, making the sphere fly off course and crash into the ground. It makes a large dent in the floor, and if there was a target there, it would have been destroyed. The boy quickly looks up at his teacher, his eyes wide as he hopes to hear approval, even though he has clearly messed up.

The woman is silent for a long moment, her yellow and gray eyes moving from the boy to the crash site. She sighs heavily and places her pen down.

"Come here, Dimentio."

Dimentio's face pales. Slowly, he walks up to her, his eyes on the ground as he is afraid to make eye contact. He approaches to her side, his heart pounding in his chest. There is a long silence, as the woman stares down at Dimentio.

"Your mind does not seem to be completely focused on your work," she chastises. "Even with your weak physical strength, that sphere shouldn't have gotten off course. You could have controlled it with magic."

"I-I..."

Dimentio stutters as he tries to come up with an explanation.

With as much courage as he can muster, he looks up and meets his teacher's gaze. There is no emotion in her dark eyes, and that makes Dimentio feel even more fearful. The woman narrows her eyes.

"What is distracting you, Dimentio? I cannot take you as my apprentice if you cannot focus on what I am trying to teach you."

"…I…"

Dimentio takes in a deep breath of air.

"…I just want to make you proud of me, _insegnante_. For the past few months, nothing I seem to do makes you happy. You always seem so angry at me, at everything. I just…"

Tears start to form in the boy's eyes. The dark woman stares at Dimentio for a long moment, clearly deep in thought.

"Dimentio…"

She gently puts her fingers under Dimentio's chin and makes him look at her, slowly wiping away his tears. She gives a gentle smile.

"It is alright, Dimentio. My anger is not towards you. It is just that the other counts of the tribe are not so pleased with my recent work. You are not doing anything to displease me. In fact, you are doing the opposite."

Dimentio's eyes grew wide. "R-really?"

The woman nods her head.

"Yes. You are improving your magic each day. You have had more successes than failures, making all my past students look like amateurs."

She smiles.

"You will become a fine magician when you grow up. And like if you were my true son, you will carry on my legacy. With this."

The woman picks up the book she has been writing and hands it over to Dimentio. Dimentio takes the book from her, studying its black and purple cover. He opens it, squinting his eyes as he tries to read the words.

"Dark Prog…nost…"

He has a hard time reading the words. The woman smiles and takes the book back.

"It says Dark Prognosticus," she explains in simple terms. "It is a book that will decide the future of these dark worlds we live in."

Dimentio blinks, tipping his head to the side slightly.

"'Dark worlds?' What do you mean by that, _insegnante_?"

The woman's eyes darken.

"I am talking about the corruption these worlds and its people. Death and destruction, pain and terror, tyranny and betrayal. All these things were once not in our world, but as time went on, our impurity as humans tainted our beloved worlds. And with this book, once completed, will make these evil worlds good again. With your help."

Dimentio gasps.

"_My_ help?! But…but I'm not a magician yet…"

The woman chuckles softly.

"In due time, you will become the most powerful magician that the Tribe of Ancient Light as ever seen. Even more powerful than I, which is why you must not distract yourself by trying to please me."

She clears her throat.

"Now run along, Dimentio. It is past your bedtime. You must be at you best for tomorrow morning's lessons."

Dimentio takes a moment to reply.

"...I understand, _insegnante_."

He slowly turns to where the door is. But before he leaves the room completely, he turns back to face his teacher.

"_Insegnante_…may I ask you something?" he asks in a small voice.

"If you must," the woman replies.

Dimentio hesitates for a moment.

"I…when you say that I will make these worlds better with that book, you don't mean I have to do it alone, do you? I'll always have you at my side, won't I? For I…don't want to be alone again…"

His voice cracks a bit as he says that last sentence. His teacher meets his gaze for a long moment.

"…Human companionship is _not_ something to rely on, child," she finally says in complete solemnity. "One can only rely on one's own inner strength and getting to attached to anyone will only bring you down."

She looks away from him and reopens the Dark Prognosticus.

"I will eventually leave you one day, and you must not let your attachment to me distract you from what you are meant to do. You must only live for your destiny. Do you understand me, Dimentio?"

Dimentio takes a deep breath of air, his heart having a stabbing pain in it.

"I-I do, _insegnante_. But I don't get why love is such a bad thing? Why is it so bad for me to love you?"

"Because love is unstable and imperfect," the woman answers, her voice darkening as she keeps her hateful gaze on the book. "Love will only bring you pain and will ultimately destroy you from within. For betrayal is always around us, and giving someone your heart is like giving them the sword to strike you down. If you love, consider yourself already dead."

She sighs heavily.

"Of course, you being a child, I don't expect you to comprehend it. But with my teachings, you will eventually understand the logic and philosophy within it."

She picks up her pen.

"Is there anything else you need, Dimentio?"

There is a long silence.

"…No, I am good," Dimentio finally says, his sad gaze on the ground. "I'm sorry for troubling you with those questions, _insegnante_."

He then quietly opens the door and leaves the room, leaving his teacher alone to her writing.


End file.
